JBStyles

The Relaxed Up Do.

This is the summer of the up do!  Designers couldn’t seem to get enough of these whimsical looks at their spring/summer shows!  The models at Armani delighted in twisted and pinned relaxed looks, while the women at Valentino wore intricately placed French plaits that wrapped around and pinned in the back.  The models at Dior wore a more simplistic version which was side parted and pinned in the back for a retro feel!  At Dolce and Gabbana, the disheveled chignon reigned!

The best part about these looks is that it can be achieved easily at home!  Take a look at the following video to see easy ways to get these romantic looks for summer!

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updo1
spring-updos-2012

 

JB REPORT – Summer 2012

Summer is right around the corner [we hope] and we figured we should give readers a bit of a heads up on what ya’ all should be rockin this this season.  XX- JB

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Modern Luxury
Humor and Fun!
MYSTERY

MODERN LUXURY (slide 1)

Sculptured looks created a futuristic presence on the runways for summer. The use of white and bright citrus colors creates an innovative look!

 

HUMOR AND FUN (slide 2)

Large flowers, fruits and veggies, and stripes that create optical illusions are popping up everywhere! Stitching and embroidery are common on satin, linen, and cotton alike.

 

MYSTERY  (slide 3)

The Wild West and colonial times are the inspiration for this category.  Retile skins, hides, camouflage, and crocheted lace are among the top looks.  Earth tones and neutrals prevail in this category.

MET GALA 2012: Best Red Carpet Looks

The MET Gala is often called fashion’s oscars…I think it’s more like fashion heaven.

I mean where else do you find Anna Wintour (Vogue Editor), sitting next to Carey Muligan, whose asking Bruno Mars to pass the rolls – whose busy staring at Beyonce’s fabulous, all though a bit see – through, Givenchy gown.  OH YEAH it’s at the MET Costume Institute gala!

This years theme was Impossible Conversations, and featured a collaboration between Elsa Schiaparelli (a personal icon of mine – blog post to follow) and Prada.

We’ve took the liberated to post some of our favorite looks from the red carpet…but PLEASE tell us what you think!  Who wore it best? Who  REALLY needs a stylist? (who needs to fire their stylist) etc. etc.

XX

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zac posen
Mia Wasikowska - Prada
Chanel Iman - Tom Ford
Bey - Givenchy
Gwyneth in Prada
Biel Prada - Timber tom ford
Kirsten + Rodarte
Amy  Adams Giambattista Valli
Cristina Ricci - Thakoon
Bianca Brandolini - D&G
Karolina Kurkova -Rachel Zoe
Lena Dunham Wes Gordon Hamish Bowles
Jones Versace
Solange Knowles Rachel Roy
Coco Rocha Givenchy
Cary
Bey


 

Minty. Fresh

MINTY, FRESH

With all the 1950s swagger hitting the runways for spring and summer, it’s no wonder that one of the biggest color trends right now is mint green.  This color was the staple for the modern kitchen during the 50s, mixed of course with the vibrant hues like fire-engine red, moss green and  hands down the go to color of the era formica yellow .  (Featured prominently in every kitchen designed in this decade)

Fortunately of us (and our kitchens) we are not bringing back the ‘formica’ yellow, but we are bringing back the flattering pale pastel tones; specifically Mint GREEN.

There are a couple reasons why we think you should be rocking this FAB trend:

  1. Mint works on cool, warm & neutral skin tones – flattering each one.
  2. This is a easy trend to incorporate in a small and inexpensive way*
  3. This color can act as a neutral - meaning it can go with almost anything in your wardrobe! (think denim, pink, white, yellow…)

*For those of us who are not ready to plunge whole-heartedly into this color, try using it as an accessory by way of a unique scarf, a piece of jewelry, or as a nail polish! This is also a great way to save money and yet remain current and on trend!

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Mint Jean
prada-mint green
mint-green-peep-toes
mint_candy_apple

 

We recently just worked with a client who was really struggling with what to wear to work, and it reminded us of a segment Jennifer did a while back featuring a few fail proof tips to looking flawless in any situation.

 

5 TIPS TO FLAWLESS

  1. Never Wear Anything You Couldn’t Wear to Church.
  2. Tailored, Cleaned & Pressed.
  3. Less is More.
  4. Know Your Body & Dress Accordingly.
  5. Confidence is Your Best Accessory.

DIP N DYE

DIP DYING 101  By: A Pair & A Spare

Dip dye has exploded onto the highstreet in the last couple of months, with stores like Zara, Asos and H&M releasing their summer collections dappled with dip dyed (or bleached) designs. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, here’s a sneaky little recap of all you need to know about dip dying.

The down-low on Dip Dying:
Ombre – The ombre dip involves a carefully graded transition between the base colour of the garment and the darkest part of the dye. To get your ombre right, dip your item in a couple of different concentrations of the dye (from lightest to darkest). Refer to my tutorial here for a simple how to.

Harsh Hem Line – You’ll probably remember this reader DIY, to get the harsh hemline look, use a strongly concentrated dye and dip to one depth, keeping the garment horizontal, and let the dye soak to ensure a strong colour.

Reverse Dip – For the reverse dip, turn your item upside down and dip once to create a reverse transition affect. Remember this?

Dip Bleach – It appears that dip bleach isn’t going away anytime soon (yay!), this trend (first spotted at Dries Van Noten AW11) resurfaced in this month’s Zara lookbook. And what’s not to love about a trend that just keeps on giving? All you have to do is soak part of your garment in bleach overnight. Simple! Check out my tutorial here to get amongst it yourself, if you haven’t already that is.

The Two Piece Dip – This is by far one of my favourite trends to crop up on the high street – take a two piece set (suit or skirt and top) and ombre dip both. You can choose to have the dye meet in the middle (as in the Asos suit) or have the dye at top/bottom of the items.

Other tips? Always use salt to set your dye (add it to your dye mixture), let your garment dry with the dye still on it prior to machine washing, and remember, the dye will always look much lighter once dry than it does when it’s wet.

In need of a little inspiration? Look no further.

Click here for the HARPER’s BAZAAR DIY tutorial by A Pair & a Spare

Roc the RED Boys!

On the way home today I was listening to NPR and they had a great segment on the hot new trend of the red pant. I thought it was so great that I included the sound bite below, and a  few images of well put together looks.  So all you men out there get inspired, and go and grab a pair of colored denim or chino’s!

I look forward to see a lot more red walking around the streets of Chicago this summer!

Look Red Hot (click to listen)

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